Alcohol has occupied an important place in the history of humankind for at least 8000 years. However, as system for improved sanitation and water purification were introduced in the 1800s, its value as a food decreased and the use of alcoholic beverages shifted towards their present day role as a socially acceptable form of recreation with alcoholic beverages having a higher concentration of alcohol. In 2005, each Korean consumed on average 97 bottles of soju (8.11 liters of alcohol), and the consumption is increasing every year despite the development of the country.
Like other sedative-hypnotic drugs, a small amount of alcohol relieves anxiety and fosters a feeling of being comfortable. However, alcohol is the most commonly abused material in the world and it is the major cause of vast medical and societal costs. In Korean, economic loss for society due to drinking has already exceeded an estimated 20 trillion won, which accounts for more than 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Contemporary people are exposed to a variety of stress and the extent of the stress is gradually increasing. To escape such stress, different activities such as exercise, sleeping, smoking, traveling, etc. are conducted. Drinking (alcohol consumption) in an attempt to relieve stress is the most popular method.
In particular, as society becomes more complex and organized, frequent drinking habits are prevailing, and heavy drinking and binge drinking continue to rise. Such drinking affects occupational performance of many people the next day, and consequently, a long-term drinking habit causes health problems.
Hangover indicates unpleasant physical and mental symptoms after drinking alcohol, and its objective symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, lowering of capacity for locomotion, hematological change and change in hormones. The cause for hangovers is still unclear, but is known to be metabolic products of alcohol metabolism.
Ethyl alcohol introduced into the body is absorbed by the stomach or the small intestine, and is transferred to the liver through blood vessels. Liver cells have alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) which oxidizes alcohol to produce acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is metabolized to produce acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in liver cells and is transferred to muscles or fat tissue throughout the whole body, and is finally decomposed to carbon oxide and water. In addition, the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is divided into type II, which initiates oxidation even in a low concentration of acetaldehyde, and type I, which only functions in a high concentration of acetaldehyde. Since Eastern people are generally deficient in type II acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, the oxidation of acetaldehyde is slower in Eastern people than in Western people. Non-oxidized acetaldehyde and/or ethanol interfere with the normal metabolism, thereby causing various hangover symptoms.
Due to the social background of Korean drinking culture, there is a continuous demand for products which can relieve hangover. Many studies have been done to reduce hangover, and actually, many different products that are commercially available have been newly introduced in the market.
However, most products are unsatisfactory because objective verification of the efficacy of the actual final products is still lacking. In fact, the confidence in the product of consumers in need of hangover relief drinks is generally low. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop a product that exhibits hangover relief efficacy so as to gain consumer confidence when consumers actually drink the product, reduces the social impact due to excessive drinking, and helps people achieve a healthy life.